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Threatened Tokyo Bottled Water Crisis

Many shops in the Japanese capital, Tokyo, ran out of bottled water after residents hired. They were worried after news emerged that the radiation from nuclear power plants teaga (NPP) are damaged, although located about 250 km, has been polluting the tap water network, so it is not safe for small children. According to news agency Associated Press, the Tokyo government today began providing bottled water rations in some locations, where every family is entitled to three bottles. Tokyo is expected to have 80,000 families who have babies under the age of 12 months. In fact, pollution levels in the tap water system in Tokyo today had returned to safe levels. However, people seem willing to take risks, because the levels of tap water in the two prefectures (provinces) that are neighbors, namely Chiba and Saitama, instead showing dangerous levels, which can cause cancer. That is why, people in Tokyo bought bottled water in stores. Though the local government has asked its citizens, who numbered 13 million people, to not panic. However, residents who have small children not taking any chances. "My first thought was to buy bottled water," said Reiko Matsumoto, a mother who has a five-year-old daughter, told the news station MSNBC. "I did not know whether it was able to bathe him," continued Matsumoto. Manager of the store admitted that he had run out of supplies. "Consumers continue to ask for bottled water. But we do not do anything about it," said Masayoshi Kasahara, a supermarket staff in eastern Tokyo, as quoted by the daily The Star. "We've asked for new supply, but do not know when the next shipment will come," continued Kasahara. According to Toru Kikutaka, guard supermarkets in other areas in Tokyo, every consumer is already rationed to two bottles bought at most two liter sized bottled water. However, there remains low. Meanwhile, engineers are still struggling to improve a damaged six nuclear reactors in Fukushima, which is close to the center of an earthquake measuring 9 on the Richter Scale and the tsunami that struck the northeastern region of Japan on 11 March. Fukushima is located 250 km from north of Tokyo. Authorities estimate, the death toll and residents who are still missing from the disaster by more than 25,000 people.